After several years opting instead for Alpine Valley, the dead return to Chicago. What a difference FOUR years makes! '87 marks the beginning of a dead renaissance culminating in spring '90, perhaps a peak the band would never hit again. These shows aren't quite there yet, but they're very good and sound like they were a blast. Jerry's getting healthy, back into form. Bobby's fired up, per usual, and Brent just keeps getting better and more comfortable through the years. The modern deadhead sees '87 - specifically the east coast tour (Feb-Mar) as a "watershed" moment. He quotes Billy: "I can't tell you what it means to have been to the point where it looked like there wasn't going to be any more Grateful Dead, and then to come back like this and to have it be as good as it is now," Kreutzmann said in '88, "We're playing better, we're healthier - all of us, not just Jerry - and we have more energy; I know I do. I feel great! I feel young!" Read more: http://moderndeadhead.blogspot.com/2009/12/grateful-dead-1987.html.
Double does of Bobby to start! Greatest->Promised, then follows some Grateful Blues with Jer leading on Push Comes to Shove and Brent on Good Time Blues-- or really, I should say, as the list here correctly says (but dead base does not), Never Trust a Woman. Rest of the set is fairly standard and well-played. You get an El Paso, Row Jimmy, followed by Esau. '87 is the last year they'd play this Bobby number, which is too bad, though perhaps I can sense why: This version seems to lack the energy and excitement of the earlier versions. Another Brent tune, Far from Me. Deal closer! FFM->Deal closer is great. It's a short first set, made up with a longer second.
Good scarlet, better fire to open the set. Definitely the best set -- at least on paper -- of the run. Scarlet->Fire makes way for the following fifty-plus minute suite: PITB->UJB->d/s->China Doll->Playing Jam->GDTRFB->Sugar Mag. Drums/Space approx. 15 mins.
Post-space China Doll is the show highlight. It always gets you, and Jerry sounds great on vocals. But - alas - as with much of '87 it sort of feels rushed near the end. Segues into a brief playing reprise to close the suite then into a rollicking, peppy and lively gdtrfb. It's a fitting us blues encore for what must've been billed as a sort of come back tour. "I'm still alive!"

left one here

Wow, 30 years ago today! I flew to CHI from Burlington VT. 4/9 was the best of thIS 3 night run. I think they added Saturday the week of the shows, it was an easy ticket....great row jimmy, S/F. Had great floor seats, like 11th row. funs stuff and a great "comeback" tour for sure!
Also at 4/9/82 Roch...heading there soon!
peace

This is a great show from a great year. Lots of good songs (Playin', GTRFB), but the Scarlet > Fire transition gets me every time, especially right when they drop into Fire.
I lived in Milwaukee at this time and saw the two nights after this. Those were super, but I really wish I had gotten tickets to this night!
It's too bad that a cleaner soundboard has not come out of this show - I'm sure Charlie did his best with what he had, but this is a very muddy sound.

These were shows 4,5,and 6 for me. I was just a kid and ignorant about a whole lot of stuff, even though back then it seemed I knew so much more than I do now. I stumbled upon the Dead and THEIR sound in late June 1986 at the age of 19. It was no wonder that I decided to continue the journey FURTHUR with the Grateful Dead and the many people I met at the various venues, campgrounds, airports, bus terminals,etc. After listening to this show again for the first time in 25+ years,I can hear why. Incidently, though this was my fourth show, it was my first one without any psychedelics, and I discovered, to my amazement, that being dosed was not necessarily necessary. What wisdom for a 20 year old Deadhead newbie to possess!!! 5 stars from an ol' softie!!!:-)

What the heck; I'll be the first review. These were the first shows I took my fiance to (now my wife of 22 years) . We rode the "El" around Chicago for 3 days living in a dream. Not the greatest shows ever in the history of the Dead, but they were starting to get their groove back after a rather rocky '86.